Beer of the Weekend #18: Franziskaner Weissbier
The beer this weekend is Franziskaner Weissbier brewed by Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu of Munich, Germany.
As mentioned last week, Paulaner Hefe-Weizen exorcized my wheat beer demons, so this weekend I’ve decided to try another. I’ve noticed Franz at Trader Joe’s for a while — the grinning monk and the old German font always appealed to me — but I knew the brew inside wasn’t to my liking. Or so I thought…
Tonight on my way home I stopped at TJ’s and picked up a sixer along with a few other things. As I took it off the shelf I had the feeling that it had been a long time coming.
A couple things before I get on to the tasting. (I’ve been bogged down in revisions for grad school applications so I feel like cutting loose on the keyboard tonight. The Quiet Man, if you haven’t noticed, has becoming my creative outlet this last week.) On the handle of Franz’ carrying case is a reassuring note:
The German Beer Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot, or “purity order”) was made law in Bavaria in 1516. That’s the year before Luther posted The 95 Thesis in Wittenberg. Basically what it did was strictly regulate the ingredients and sale of beer. It stated that only water, barley, and hops could be used in the brewing process. Notice the paradox here? The list does not mention wheat, yet a wheat beer proudly states how it abides by the law. Under it’s authority, wheat beers were prohibited. It makes me wonder how wheat beers survived in Germany with this law in place. Apparently it played a huge role in the 1871 unification, and when the law went into affect throughout the German Empire it extinguished a lot of regional brewing methods. In 1987 the law was repealed, yet many German beers use the Reinheitsgebot compliance as a marketing tool.
Another thing: green bottles. Everybody has probably seen the Samuel Adams commercial regarding the color of beer bottles. The darker the bottle color the less affect light has on the beer inside. Brown bottles are obviously the best while clear glass leaves the beer naked and unprotected. Green bottles are in between. They allow more light through than brown bottles but not as much as clear. Germans are obsessed with their beer, so it surprised me that Franz was in green bottles.
On with the tasting.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles.
Appearance: Cloudy straw yellow with a fluffy white head that lingered for quite some time.
Smell: Flowery aroma with a prominent banana smell. It has that barnyard scent a lot of German beers have, but this one obviously smells more like wheat
Taste: Man. I can’t believe I refused this stuff for so long. There’s a slight hop tingle but the taste is mostly fruity. It’s dominated by the smell. The banana is most dominant and there is a presence of cloves. It’s a little spicy, too — just a little. The wheat is rye-like. I’m missing the hint of strawberry from last week, but it’s still very good.
Drinkability: Another good summer brew. It’d be a good lunchtime drink.
Fun facts about Franziskaner Weissbier:
-Serving temp.: 50-53°.
-Alcohol content: 5 percent ABV.
-A good food pairing is grilled chicken.
-Remember that hefeweizens are brewed with wheat. According to Beers of the World, most wheat beers are brewed using 50 percent wheat and 50 percent malted barley. Franziskaner beers, however, are 75 percent malted wheat.
The Quiet Man’s grade: Now I know why the little monk on the label is smiling: his cup is filled with Franziskaner. Not as good as last week, but still a good brew. B+.
As mentioned last week, Paulaner Hefe-Weizen exorcized my wheat beer demons, so this weekend I’ve decided to try another. I’ve noticed Franz at Trader Joe’s for a while — the grinning monk and the old German font always appealed to me — but I knew the brew inside wasn’t to my liking. Or so I thought…
Tonight on my way home I stopped at TJ’s and picked up a sixer along with a few other things. As I took it off the shelf I had the feeling that it had been a long time coming.
A couple things before I get on to the tasting. (I’ve been bogged down in revisions for grad school applications so I feel like cutting loose on the keyboard tonight. The Quiet Man, if you haven’t noticed, has becoming my creative outlet this last week.) On the handle of Franz’ carrying case is a reassuring note:
Brewed exclusively from Alpine water, wheat malt, barley malt, yeast and hop extract, according to the famous German purity law (Reinheitsgebot).
The German Beer Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot, or “purity order”) was made law in Bavaria in 1516. That’s the year before Luther posted The 95 Thesis in Wittenberg. Basically what it did was strictly regulate the ingredients and sale of beer. It stated that only water, barley, and hops could be used in the brewing process. Notice the paradox here? The list does not mention wheat, yet a wheat beer proudly states how it abides by the law. Under it’s authority, wheat beers were prohibited. It makes me wonder how wheat beers survived in Germany with this law in place. Apparently it played a huge role in the 1871 unification, and when the law went into affect throughout the German Empire it extinguished a lot of regional brewing methods. In 1987 the law was repealed, yet many German beers use the Reinheitsgebot compliance as a marketing tool.
Another thing: green bottles. Everybody has probably seen the Samuel Adams commercial regarding the color of beer bottles. The darker the bottle color the less affect light has on the beer inside. Brown bottles are obviously the best while clear glass leaves the beer naked and unprotected. Green bottles are in between. They allow more light through than brown bottles but not as much as clear. Germans are obsessed with their beer, so it surprised me that Franz was in green bottles.
On with the tasting.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles.
Appearance: Cloudy straw yellow with a fluffy white head that lingered for quite some time.
Smell: Flowery aroma with a prominent banana smell. It has that barnyard scent a lot of German beers have, but this one obviously smells more like wheat
Taste: Man. I can’t believe I refused this stuff for so long. There’s a slight hop tingle but the taste is mostly fruity. It’s dominated by the smell. The banana is most dominant and there is a presence of cloves. It’s a little spicy, too — just a little. The wheat is rye-like. I’m missing the hint of strawberry from last week, but it’s still very good.
Drinkability: Another good summer brew. It’d be a good lunchtime drink.
Fun facts about Franziskaner Weissbier:
-Serving temp.: 50-53°.
-Alcohol content: 5 percent ABV.
-A good food pairing is grilled chicken.
-Remember that hefeweizens are brewed with wheat. According to Beers of the World, most wheat beers are brewed using 50 percent wheat and 50 percent malted barley. Franziskaner beers, however, are 75 percent malted wheat.
The Quiet Man’s grade: Now I know why the little monk on the label is smiling: his cup is filled with Franziskaner. Not as good as last week, but still a good brew. B+.
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